Right royal welcome for visiting media

Around 100 media were treated to a performance by celebrated songstress Hinewehi Mohi before dining on some of New Zealand’s finest food and wine.
 

The welcome was the first part of a programme put together by Tourism New Zealand to support and motivate international media to produce stories about New Zealand as an international holiday destination.
 

Efforts have already paid off, with destination content distributed to media being used in media articles describing the Royals’ visit to New Zealand.
 

Tourism New Zealand’s Director of Trade, PR and Major Events Justin Watson says there will be around 130 international media from the UK and Europe, USA, Japan and Australia including BBC, ABC, CNN, Sunday News, The Telegraph and the New York Daily News.
 

“Their stories will reach into millions of households worldwide.”
 

“While here, Tourism New Zealand has invited media to participate in some of the world-class experiences that New Zealand has to offer – from Wellington’s gourmet food trails, natural history and cycle tours, to the magic that is Hobbiton and Middle-earth.”
 

“By participating in these activities, the media will be better able to write about their New Zealand experiences.”
 

Justin says the media stories that will appear as part of the Royal visit and these additional activities will help Tourism New Zealand continue to build on the solid visitor growth recently seen out of Western markets.
 

“For the year ending February 2014, arrivals were up 5.4 per cent from the UK, 12.0 per cent from the USA and 6.8 per cent from Australia.”
 

“Our programme of activity will demonstrate how easy it is for people to come to New Zealand and have similar experiences to those enjoyed by the Royal family.”
 

“We will also capture the best moments of the Royal visit and publish our own stories and images to media, via our international public relations network and on-line channels.”